Method and apparatus for manufacturing products from fibrous material



July 5', 1932. M. SKOLNIK 1,365,649

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING PRODUCTS FROM FIBROUS MATERIAL Filed June 1. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet I I i I. n/zz ll 6 II July 5, 1932. M. SKOLNIK METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING PRODUCTS FROM FIBROUS MATERIAL Filed June 1. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet Patented July 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE "Max SKOLNIK, or CHICAGO, ILLINoIs, AssIGNoR T INsoLo HOLDING COMPANY, A

CORPORATION or MINNESOTA METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING PRODUCTS FROM FIBROUS MATERIAL Application filed June 1, 1931. Serial No. 541,159.

The invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for manufacturing structural products from organic fibrous materiahsuch as straw and the like.

The main object of my invention is to convert organic material, such as straw, into products which are permanent in form, water-proof and fire-resisting; and further to provide new and improved apparatus arranged to give the most efiicient method of handling the material beginning with the raw material and-ending with the finished product; toprovide a new and improved means for cooking, treating and crushing the pulp; to provide simple and reliable apparatus for transferring the pulp through the different steps of the manufacturing process; to provide an improved rapid-acting,

multi-stage press for compressing the pulp into desired forms and to provide means by I which the pulp is transferred by gravity from the cooking and crushing room through the pulp mixer to the forming press.

I An illustrative embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:'

.Figure 1 is a sectional view through a manufacturing plant showing diagrammatically the apparatus arranged on three floors.

Fig. 2 is. a sectional view taken at right angles'to Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the handling, cooking and crushing apparatus located on the Fig. 4 is a top view of the pulp crusher. Fig. 5 is a side view of the pulp crusher. F ig. 6 is a front view of the pulp crusher.

Fig. 7 is a top view of a multi-stage pulp press with a four-sided turntable.

Fi 8 is a side View of the pulp press showinghe ram actuating mechanism.

Fig. 9 is anend view of the pulp press showing the main shaft drive.

Fig. 10 is a detail of the table rotating mechanism.

I On. the top floor, in Figure 1, is a cooking tank 1, which isconnected by conduits, not shown. with a boiler 2 located on the lowest floor. Above the cooking tank 1 is an endcrusher tank 5 which contains pulp-crushing rollers 6 driven by a motor 7. The pulp. crusher rollers 6 deliver the crushed pulp to a sloping shelf 8 from which the pulp falls on floor 9. At intervals in the floor 9 are chutes 10 through which crushed pulp is delivered to a pulp mixer 11; thence to afpulp reservoir 12 by way of a manifold From the reservoir 12 through a measuring valve 14, actuated by a shaft 15, the treated, crushed pulp is delivered through a chute 16 to a multi-stage press 17. The pulp is then transferred to a final finishing press 18.

In Figure 4 is shown in detail the lower pulp crusher roll 6, mounted von a shaft 19 mounted on bearings 20 and driven by the motor 7 5 The crusher tank 5 has a sloping bottom 21, as shown in Fig. 5, and the upper crusher roll 6 is driven by gear 22 which in turn is operated by a drive gear 23 on the lower crusher roll. The gear 23 is driven by a pinion 24 on the motor 7. I

The multi-die pulp press comprises a turntable 25 on the outer edgeof which is mounted multiple female dies 26. The turntable rotates about a center support 27 and slides over corner supports 28. Intermittent rotation of the table 25 is produced by linkage with an electric motor 29.which, through a speed'reducer 30 and a spur gear 31, drives a spur gear '32 on a shaft with a clutch 33 which is connected to spur gears 34 which in turn drive spiral gears 35 and 36, thereby driving spur gear 37 which meshes with a spur gear 38 integral with the table 25.

The details of the "intermittent table drive is shown in Fig. 10. 7

Parallel to one side of the table are side columns 39 and mounted on the top of the side columns is a shaft 40 on which are eccentrics 41.. The eccentrics are connected with a ram 42 by eccentric straps 43, theec- 'centric strap-43 being linked to ram 42 by means of an adjustment screw 44. The lower edge of the ram 42 carries male dies 45 ar-' ranged to coact with the female dies 26. The

main I shaft 40 is supported in bearings and cap 46 and is driven by-a gear 47 which meshes with a pinion 48, which is driven by so that the material is loose in the basket.

' The basket is loaded with material when it is suspended from the trolley 3 at the position on the trolley between the cooker tank 1 and the pulp crusher 5. The basket 4 is then moved along the trolley 3 to the cooker tank 1 and the basket is lowered into the tank, so that the material in the basket is completely immersed in one of the compartments of the cooker tank. After the material has been soaked and treated for a suificient time, the basket is raised out of the cooker tank, 'allowed to drain for a short interval and then moved along the trolley until the basket is above the pulp crushing unit 5. The bottom of this basket is then opened and the material falls onto the slanting floor 21 of'the pulp crusher and is automatically passed through the crusher rolls 6, passing to the pulp storage space above the floor chutes 10.

When the chutes are opened, the pulp flows into one of a series of pulp mixers 11 which are connected by a manifold 13, so that the material from all of the pulp "mixers is delivered by gravity to the press pulp reservoir 12. Through the operation of the measuring valve 14 in the bottom of the pulp reservoir, a predetermined quantity of pulp is delivered and spread on one of the four sides of the revolving table 25 of the forming press 17.

In the operation of the forming press on the upper stroke of the ram 42, the clutch 33 connecting the-rotating table 25 with its driving mechanism is put in operation and the table revolves one-quarter of a revolution, placing the filled dies 26 under the ram. On the downward stroke of the ram, the material is com ressed into the desired shape, determined y the upper and lower dies. On the upward stroke, the table again revolves a quarter of a revolution, carrying the compressed pulp with the female dies away from the ram and placing under the ram the side of the table which had been filled from the reservoir tank during the interval when the ram was making its compression stroke.

In a similar manner, the third side of the table is filled with pulp and rotates one-quarter of a revolution, at which position the first material compressed is removed from the dies. When the table is in full operation, one side of the table is being compressed, one side is being filled, the opposite side is carrying the material, andthe side opposite the ram is in the position where the material is removed from the forming press, and when the product is in proper condition, it is carried to the final finishing press from which position the material is stored or baled ready for the market.

The usual method of making various products from fibrous material involves a process and apparatus considerably more complicat- 'ed and expensive than that detailed in the foregoing description. The usual process involves a blanket spreading stage, during which the pulp and water mixture is spread on a traveling belt and formed into a continuous Web, the same as in the manufacture of paper. This involves the use of very expensive paper mill machinery, requiring a large amount of floor space and almost constant production for its economic operation.

With the method and apparatus I have described, I have entirely eliminated the blanket spreading operation and the use of costly paper mill machinery, thereby considerably reducing the cost of manufacture of fibrous material products. Furthermore, I have eliminated the extra handling necessary to cut the usual Web of fibrous material into pieces of workable size, and have eliminated the accompanying waste. WVith my method and apparatus manual labor has been reduced to a minimum and the process is practically automatic.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. The method of converting straw into structural materials by placing loose straw in containers, cooking and chemically treating said straw in tanks without removal from said containers, delivering said cooked and treated straw to pulp crushing apparatus, delivering by gravity to a pulp storage space, providing gravity chutes from such pulp storage to a pulp mixing tank, and delivering from said pulp mixing tank through a measuring valve to a forming press.

2.The method of making products from fibrous organic material by placing said-material in containers, cooking and chemically treating asidmaterial in tanks without removal from said containers, delivering said cooked and treated material to pulp crushing apparatus, delivering by gravity to.a pulp storage space, delivering through gravity chutes from such pulp storage to apulp mixing tank, and delivering from said pulp mixing tank through agate to a forming press.

3. The method of making products from fibrous organic material by placing said material in containers, cooking and treating said material in an alkali solution in tanks without removal from sald containers, delivering saidcooked and treated material to a pulp crushing apparatus, delivering material 5 through gravity chutes to a pulp and lime solution mixing tank, and delivering measured quantities of material from said mixing tank to a forming press.

4. The method of making products from fibrous organic material by placing said material in containers, cooking and chemically treating said material in tanks without removal from said containers, reducing said material to pulp ina crushing apparatus, delivering pulp by gravit to a pulp storage space, delivering pulp space to a pulp mixing tank, and delivering pulp from said mixing tank through an-automatic measuring valve to a forming press. 5. The apparatus arranged to convert fibrous material into finished structural products comprising apparatus arranged on a top floor for cooking, treating and crushing the fibrous 'material into pulp, delivering to a second floor'through gravity ,chutes to pulp mixing tanks and delivering to the first floor from said pulp mixing tanks to a multi-die forming press, said forming press having a ram and a four-sidedtable for simultaneous operations of filling, compressing and removing the material from the press.

6. Apparatus for manufacturing products from fibrous organic materials comprising cooking and treating tanks, pulp crushing apparatus, a plurality of pulp mixing tanks, means for delivering material from said crushing apparatus to said mixing tanks, aforming press and controlled means to deliver material'from individual ones of said mixing tanks to said forming press.

7. A paratus for manufacturing products from brous organic materials comprising cooking and treatingtanks, ulp crushing apparatus,- a plural'ty of pu p mixing tanks, meansfor deliv ering material from said crushing apparatus to said mixing tanks, a forming press having a removable die,controlled means todeliver material from individual ones of said mixing tanks to said forming press, and a second forming press to impart the final shape to the product being Worked. 8. Apparatus for manufacturing products from fibrous organic materials comprising cooking and treating tanks, pulp crushing apparatus, a plurality of pulp mixing tanks, means .for delivering material from said crushing apparatus to said mixing tanks, a forming press having a removable die, controlled means to deliver material from individual ones of said mixing tanks to said forming press, and a second forming press having a die slightly smaller than the die of said first press to impart the final shape to the product being worked.

rom such storage.

9. Apparatus for manufacturing products from fibrous organic material comprising a cooking and treating tank, a pulp crusher, a

pulp reservoir, a pulp mixing tank between.

said pulp reservoir and said pulp crusher, meansfor delivering material from said pulp crusher to said mixing tank and from said crusher, means for delivering material from said pulp crusher to said mixing tank and from said mixing tank to said reservoir, an automatic measuring valve on said reservoir, a forming press having a removable die, and means for delivering material from said reservoir through said valve to said forming press.

11. Apparatus for manufacturing products from fibrous organic material comprising a cooking and treating tank, a pulp crusher, a pulp reservoir, a pulp mixing tank between said pulp reservoir and said pulp crusher, means for delivering material from said pulp crusher to said mixing tank and from said mixing tank to said reservoir, an

automatic measuring valve on said reservoir,

a forming press having a removable die,

means for delivering material from said res-- ervoir through said valve to said forming press, and means actuated by said forming press to intermittently operate said measuring valve. I

12. 'Apparatus for manufacturing products from fibrous organic materials comprising cooking and treating tanks, pulp crushing apparatus, a plurality of pulp mixing tanks, means for delivering material from said crushing apparatus to said-mixing tanks, a pulp reservoir, means to deliver material from said mixing tanks to said reservoir, an automatic measuring valve on said reservoir, a forming press, means controlled by said measuring valve to deliver material from said reservoir to said forming press, and means actuated by said forming press to intermittently operate said measuring valve.

13. The apparatus arranged to manufacture products from fibrous organic material comprising trolley'means .for handling baskets of said material, a tank arranged for cooking and treating said material'without removal fromsaid baskets, apparatus for crushing said. material after cooking and treating, a pulp mixing tank, means for delivering material from said crushing apparatus to said mixing tank, mg press, a pulp reservoir between said forma multi-die form ing press and said mixing tank, means for delivering material from said mixing tank to said reservoir, a measuring valve on said reservoir, and means for delivering material through said measuing valve to said forming press, said press having a ram and a rotatable four-sided table for simultaneous operations of filling, compressing and removing said material from said press.

14. .Apparatus for manufacturing products from fibrous organic material comprising a cooking and treating tank, a pulp crusher, a pulp reservoir, a pulp mixing tank between said pulp reservoir and said pulp crusher, means for delivering material from said pulp crusher to said mixing tank and from said mixing tank to said reservoir, a measuring valve on said reservoir, an automatic multi-die forming press, and means for delivering material from said; reservoir through said measuring valve to said form ing press, said forming press comprising a four-sided rotatable table having a plurality of female dies arranged on each side thereof, a power driven ram having a plurality of male dies arranged to coact with the female dies on one sideof said table, and driving means to operate said ram and intermittently rotate said table.

15. In apparatus for manufacturing products from fibrous organic material, a forming press comprising a frame, a rotatable table supported on said frame, a plurality of supported on said frame,

dies arranged adjacent the edge of said table, a ram mounted on said frame and above the edge of said table, and means to actuate said ram and intermittently rotate said table.

.a plurality ofspaced female dies arranged adjacent the sides of said table, a vertically reciprocating ram mounted aboveaone side of said table, a plurality ofspaced male dies arranged on said ram to coact with said female dies, a motor, means driven by said motor to actuate said ram, and additional means driven-by said motor to rotate said table one quarter of a revolution during each upward movement of said ram.

20. In apparatus for manufacturing products from fibrous organic material, a multidie forming press. comprising a frame, a rotatable table supported on said frame, a plurality of spaced female dies arranged adjacent the edge of said table, a pair of verticalupwardly extending supports mounted on said frame, a vertically slidable ram mounted between said supports and above the edge of said 'table, a plurality of male 'dies; on said ram arranged to coact with thefemale dies on said table, a ram operating shaft journaled on said supports; reciprocating means on said operating shaft to actuate said ram, and driving means to rotate said operating shaft and intermittently rotate said table one quarter of a turn during each upward movement of said ram.

Si ed at Chicago, in the cgunty of Cook and tate of Illinois this t day of May 1931.

MAX SKOLNIK.

16. 'A forming press for manufacturing products from fibrous organic material, comprising a frame, a four-sided rotatable table arranged adjacent the sides of said table,

' means driven by' said motor to actuate sai.

a reciprocating'ram mounted on said frame and above one side-of said table, and means to actuate said ram and intermittently rotate said table.

17. A formin press for manufacturing products from fi rous organic material, comprising a frame, a four-sided rotatable table supported on said frame, a plurality of dies arranged adjacent the sides of said table,

a reciprocating ram mounted on said frame and above one side of said table, a motor ram, and additional means driven by said motor to intermittently rotate said table.

a plurality of dies 1 8. A forming press for manufacturing" I products from fibrous organic material, comprising a frame, a four-sided rotatable table, apluralityof dies arranged adjacent the sides 0 said table, a reciprocating ram mounted above one side of sa1d table, a motor, meansdriven by saidhmotor to actuate vsaid ram, Y

and additional means driven by said motor to rotate said table one quarter of a revolution 

